A year after opening its doors to the nation, a veterans’ centre that admits it shouldn’t need to exist continues to be inundated with clients.
Veterans Centre Australia (VCA) is a not-for-profit charity that provides professional support and advocacy services to members of the ADF, veterans and their family members. Alarmingly, the demand for VCA's services has increased by 120% in the last 12 months.
VCA CEO, Nikki Noakes, said despite increased government focus on Australian Defence Force (ADF) veterans’ welfare over the past five years, demand for transition support is showing no signs of slowing. Ms Noaks explains that the demand for VCA service had grown by a further 10% since the release of the Royal Commission's interim report in August this year. This has resulted in VCA clients now facing a four to six-week waiting list to access support services.
“The sad reality is that a service like ours should not have to exist. The government programs currently available to veterans are not always consistent and can be met with barriers to engagement.
“Around 30% of our clients come to us having an unsatisfactory experience elsewhere, as they struggle to navigate a complex Veterans’ Affairs system which usually exacerbates their stress levels.
Ms Noakes believes VCA will need to increase its resources in the coming years as it guides Australian veterans and their families towards wellbeing and resilience.
“At VCA, we recognise that everyone’s transition experience is different, shaped by a different set of circumstances, and an infinite combination of multifaceted needs. There is no one-size-fits-all model.
“Our team provides levels of support ranging from urgent high-risk interventions that are tactical in nature, through to deliberate on-base engagements and long-term wellbeing and care assistance.
Ms Noaks says that VCA's programs are all about empowering veterans with the knowledge and connections that they need to go on to lead fulfilling lives.
“We work really hard to connect veterans and their families with a range of support services and programs so that they are informed and resourced to better respond to their own individual health, social and physical needs, both during and post their ADF transition periods,” she said.
Taking a national focus
After servicing the Northern Beaches area of Sydney for a decade, VCA expanded to offer its services nationally to support the growing demand for services.
VCA Board Chair, Ryan Carmichael, said although the veteran community had faced immense challenges over the past few years, this has generated important awareness of the sector, with an increased focus on veterans’ wellbeing and employment initiatives.
“VCA has maintained a laser-like focus on supporting veterans and families to ensure we can achieve positive and sustainable outcomes for those who seek and need assistance,” he said.
Supporting those still in service
Naval officer Catherine Harvey, who has been in the service for 28 years and is still serving, was diagnosed with PTSD following two tours of Afghanistan.
Catherine said having VCA handle all the paperwork around her PTSD claim took all the stress away.
“Just trying to work out the system and make a claim was seriously messing with my mental health. I handed over my medical records, I was assigned an advocate, they then took over and told me what I was able to claim. Their support model is just fantastic,” she said.
“To have someone else manage this process for me just completely lifted the load, in every respect.”
About VCA
Veterans Centre Australia is a not-for-profit charity that provides professional support and advocacy services to current and former servicemen, servicewomen and their families.
Wellbeing is VCA’s core focus and it supports its clients in three ways: through care coordination - offering a pathway to access civilian support services; military legislation advocacy support - ensuring veterans receive the right entitlements from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and, training and education - providing mental health first aid and suicide prevention training to volunteers working within the ex-service community.
First established in 2012 for veterans in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, more than half of VCA’s clients now live outside this area and are spread throughout Australia.
VCA now proudly supports 526 clients across Australia and is looking to further develop the centre in line with other government initiatives.